Meyers Lemon Bundt Cake

Last week, I won a new Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer in an online auction for $2.75. Yup, you read that right - $2.75. With shipping and handling, the total came out to a whopping $30. With these stand mixers retailing at $300, I was beside myself with joy and vowed to make everyone I knew some type of baked good with all the money I saved. Well, the stand mixer came in the mail. It was quite an adventure opening up the box, within a box, within a box. Pretty intense packaging if you ask me, but I don't mind as long as it keeps my baby safe!

Box 1

Box 2

At last! The last box!

It's just so beautiful...and NEW!

It just so happens that my wonderful aunt supplies me with a steady supply of Meyers lemons. Meyers lemons, if you don't know, are a little different from regular lemons. They are slightly sweeter and have an orange tint to the peel making them perfect for baking. I was recently browsing through a few blogs and found this mouth-watering Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake recipe that I wanted to try. So here we go!

Meyers Lemons

Here are the lemons graciously provided by my aunt...beautiful, aren't they?

The ingredients that you'll need.

Grease and flour a bundt pan.

Lemon juice...

Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake by Baking Bites

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 tbsp Meyer lemon zest

1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp Meyer lemon juice

1 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by lemon zest. Stir 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, followed by the Meyer lemon juice. Add in additional 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk. Stir in all remaining flour, mixing only until no streaks of flour remain visible. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached. Let cake rest in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze, whisk together lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Serves 12-14

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

When my friend first sent me this recipe, I started drooling. This bundt cake screamed to be made. I could almost taste the pumpkin cake from my laptop screen. So, what else could I do but make it?

The directions are pretty simple, and it uses ingredients that you can find around your house, minus the pumpkin puree. And unlike many other bundt cakes, this one only uses a stick of butter. Phew! See? A cake can be good with less butter! The cake was moist, fluffy, and had a good balance of pumpkin flavor. The cream cheese icing was a good complement to the spice of the cake, although I had to adapt it a little because I didn't have any milk on hand. So instead, I used water. Other than that, just follow the directions to the T and you should have no problems.



close-up shot.


Pumpkin Bundt Cake by Baking Bites:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by the vegetable oil and vanilla extract.
Whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree in a small bowl or measuring cup.
Stir about 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, followed by half of the pumpkin mix. Stir in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the remaining pumpkin and the remaining flour. Mix only until ingredients are just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain visible. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for about 45 min, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly touched.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 1 bundt cake; serves 10-12

Vanilla Cream Cheese Glaze
2 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small bowl, beat all ingredients together until very smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Lemon Heaven~

Thanks to my aunt for providing me a steady supply of lemons from her lemon tree, I have been baking up a frenzy these days. Lemon tarts, lemon cheesecakes, lemon cream. I looked at all my baking pans today and noticed that I haven't used my bundt pan in awhile, so lemon bundt cake it is!

This lemon cake is the most lemony-flavored cake I've ever tasted. And if you like lemons as much as I do, drop what you're doing and make this cake...RIGHT NOW! Not only does the cake contain lemons galore, you pour lemony syrup on top, followed by a generous amount of lemon icing to finish this heavenly treat. The cake itself is actually sugar-free because I substituted Splenda for the sugar...so eat away!

Here's my adaptation of Ina Garten's Lemon Cake using a bundt pan instead:

I love sifting!


The glaze on top. I didn't use as much sugar so it was kinda watery, but delicious!


My little baby out of the oven, ready for its lemon syrup bath.


Finishing touch...lemon glaze. I like that the icing wasn't think, but very light.




Final product: Moist, lemony, cake with a pound cake-like consistency, although it's not as dense as normal pound cakes.


Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar (Splenda is OK for you diabetics)
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour one bundt pan
2. Cream butter and 2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Mixing at medium speed, add eggs, one at a time, and lemon zest.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to butter and sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly between loaf pans or one bundt pan, smooth tops, and bake for ~45 minutes, until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean.
4. Combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves.
5. When cake is done, carefully Invert it onto a rack set over a tray, and spoon lemon syrup over it. Let cakes cool completely.
6. For glaze, combine confectioners’ sugar and remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cakes, and allow glaze to drizzle down the sides.